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Considering the money the Dodgers have, the depth they're continuing to acquire, and the minimal number of "marquee" free agents available, the Dodgers are in a position to dominate the market this off-season.

The Dodgers biggest trade asset is not a particular player or group of players, but the money they can spend in free agency. Call me crazy, but I believe the Dodgers will sign Greinke, one of Sanchez or Lohse, and yes... even Josh Hamilton. When that happens, the players currently under contract will become harder for other teams to pass on as potential trade pieces.

We already know Guggenheim is willing to reach into its moneybags to make the team better, and though many believe that Ethier's contract is too much for any coherent team to take on, consider how desperate those teams will become when the one major free agent bat is taken off the market. If five teams are in on Hamilton right now, five teams will still have a void to fill when the Dodgers sign him. Andre Ethier will become a much more enticing trade piece especially in bandboxes like Milwaukee and Texas.

According to multiple reports today, the Dodgers are now the favorite to land Greinke and the Angels seem to be out of the mix. I'd imagine it won't be too long before we hear news on the Dodgers' pursuit of additional pitchers, and possibly rumors about Josh Hamilton. Expect the Dodgers to be a bully on the free agent market, taking all of the available assets and, in doing so, providing a kick to the trade market.

Well said.

With the abundance of money the Dodgers have, I agree they will be signing Grienke +1 and Josh Hamilton as well. Sanchez and Lohse are very good pitchers and either would be a great addition. I am still on the Dan Haren wagon though - he doesn't cost us a draft pick, still has good stuff and will likely sign a shorter deal than the others.

Originally Posted by Dodgerbluemmm24

Just an FYI, I merged the "off season speculate thread" with this one as they basically talk about the same thing.

I can also sticky this thread at the top through the winter meetings if you guys want.

The 200 plus innings, low to mid 3 era, 175 + strikeouts, consistently over the past 9 years is what does it for me. Plenty of pitchers don't throw 95+mph (he reaches 91) fastballs and they are very successful.

Better option than Cap, Harang or Lilly. Shorter term contract than Sanchez and Lohse too.

LOS ANGELES -- Since taking over seven years ago, general manager Ned Colletti has established an offseason pattern of striking fast for one or two free agents to make his club's task at the Winter Meetings more manageable.

This year, he even had enough money to do it, solidifying the Dodgers' bullpen by re-signing closer Brandon League, even if it looks like an overpayment at three years and $22.5 million.

Barring another pre-emptive strike before arriving in Nashville over the weekend, that leaves Colletti's primary focus the addition of a starting pitcher worthy of being a No. 2 to Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers have the money to chase a Zack Greinke, the best of a thin free-agent crop. But with new ownership and a summer tradefest that loaded the roster, for the first time they have the trade pieces to pry loose a Cliff Lee or James Shields or Felix Hernandez.

And they would still have enough money left over to lock up Korean lefty Ryu Hyun-jin, having secured exclusive negotiating rights to the 25-year-old with a $25.7 million posting fee that's refundable if he doesn't sign by Dec. 10.

Sure to return are Cy Young runner-up Kershaw and Josh Beckett. Because of owner Guggenheim Baseball Partners' vast wealth, the Dodgers have been linked to Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Ryan Dempster and Kyle Lohse. Only Greinke would satisfy the desire for a No. 2, which is why the trade route might be the one taken.

For every starter the Dodgers sign, they create a potentially tradable surplus of pitchers, depending on the health of Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly. Cautiously optimistic that Billingsley will avoid Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers could have Chris Capuano or Aaron Harang or both as trade pieces.

Ambitious fans already are envisioning a rotation of Kershaw, Greinke, Billingsley, Beckett and Ryu. With a surplus of pitching, the Dodgers could then turn their attention to secondary needs -- a fourth outfielder, left-handed reliever and corner infielder.

The fourth outfielder is a tricky fit. Tentatively, Jerry Hairston is penciled into that role, but he is returning from significant hip labrum surgery. And Carl Crawford, although destined to be the left fielder, might not be ready for Spring Training or even Opening Day as he heals from Tommy John surgery.

Add to that the need for the fourth outfielder with center-field skills -- Matt Kemp is coming off shoulder surgery -- and the Dodgers are looking for more than a marginal bench player.

For left-handed relief, the Dodgers are interested in re-signing Randy Choate, who was obtained in the Hanley Ramirez trade. They want depth, with Scott Elbert coming off elbow surgery and the impressive Paco Rodriguez still unproven over time.

On the infield corners, Colletti wants a right-handed hitter who could spell Adrian Gonzalez at first base and stand in for Luis Cruz if he can't duplicate his second-half breakthrough. They passed on Kevin Youkilis over the summer, despite having talked to his agent this offseason.

If new hitting coach Mark McGwire can help Juan Uribe regain his old form, that would be a welcome solution. But Uribe no longer gets the benefit of the doubt and will need to win the job in Spring Training. Other in-house options include Scott Van Slyke, Alex Castellanos and C.J. Retherford.

LOS ANGELES -- Since taking over seven years ago, general manager Ned Colletti has established an offseason pattern of striking fast for one or two free agents to make his club's task at the Winter Meetings more manageable.

This year, he even had enough money to do it, solidifying the Dodgers' bullpen by re-signing closer Brandon League, even if it looks like an overpayment at three years and $22.5 million.

Barring another pre-emptive strike before arriving in Nashville over the weekend, that leaves Colletti's primary focus the addition of a starting pitcher worthy of being a No. 2 to Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers have the money to chase a Zack Greinke, the best of a thin free-agent crop. But with new ownership and a summer tradefest that loaded the roster, for the first time they have the trade pieces to pry loose a Cliff Lee or James Shields or Felix Hernandez.

And they would still have enough money left over to lock up Korean lefty Ryu Hyun-jin, having secured exclusive negotiating rights to the 25-year-old with a $25.7 million posting fee that's refundable if he doesn't sign by Dec. 10.

Sure to return are Cy Young runner-up Kershaw and Josh Beckett. Because of owner Guggenheim Baseball Partners' vast wealth, the Dodgers have been linked to Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Ryan Dempster and Kyle Lohse. Only Greinke would satisfy the desire for a No. 2, which is why the trade route might be the one taken.

For every starter the Dodgers sign, they create a potentially tradable surplus of pitchers, depending on the health of Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly. Cautiously optimistic that Billingsley will avoid Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers could have Chris Capuano or Aaron Harang or both as trade pieces.

Ambitious fans already are envisioning a rotation of Kershaw, Greinke, Billingsley, Beckett and Ryu. With a surplus of pitching, the Dodgers could then turn their attention to secondary needs -- a fourth outfielder, left-handed reliever and corner infielder.

The fourth outfielder is a tricky fit. Tentatively, Jerry Hairston is penciled into that role, but he is returning from significant hip labrum surgery. And Carl Crawford, although destined to be the left fielder, might not be ready for Spring Training or even Opening Day as he heals from Tommy John surgery.

Add to that the need for the fourth outfielder with center-field skills -- Matt Kemp is coming off shoulder surgery -- and the Dodgers are looking for more than a marginal bench player.

For left-handed relief, the Dodgers are interested in re-signing Randy Choate, who was obtained in the Hanley Ramirez trade. They want depth, with Scott Elbert coming off elbow surgery and the impressive Paco Rodriguez still unproven over time.

On the infield corners, Colletti wants a right-handed hitter who could spell Adrian Gonzalez at first base and stand in for Luis Cruz if he can't duplicate his second-half breakthrough. They passed on Kevin Youkilis over the summer, despite having talked to his agent this offseason.

If new hitting coach Mark McGwire can help Juan Uribe regain his old form, that would be a welcome solution. But Uribe no longer gets the benefit of the doubt and will need to win the job in Spring Training. Other in-house options include Scott Van Slyke, Alex Castellanos and C.J. Retherford.

Trade for King Felix and then still sign Greinke and Hamilton!!! lmao!!

Watch Ned not get any pitchers and then he is going to come up with his excuses saying that he is satisfied with the pitching staff right now and that the Dodgers could win a world series with this pitching staff.

Watch Ned not get any pitchers and then he is going to come up with his excuses saying that he is satisfied with the pitching staff right now and that the Dodgers could win a world series with this pitching staff.

LOS ANGELES -- To those convinced the Dodgers will sign Zack Greinke because they can outspend every other team, why hasn't it happened already?

Ned Colletti has told the Greinke camp he's interested -- the club and the pitcher met on Thursday, according to multiple reports. But with Greinke apparently in no rush to sign, the GM will head to the Winter Meetings to see if there's someone better he can pry loose in a trade -- Cliff Lee, James Shields or Felix Hernandez, for example.

At the November General Managers Meetings, Colletti said much of his winter shopping was done during the summer. He doesn't need to add Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett or Nick Punto. He heads to the Winter Meetings, beginning Monday in Nashville, with a short shopping list and deep pockets. What a difference a year makes.

But to satisfy new ownership's goal of a World Series now, Colletti wants somebody else's ace to slot behind Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. He will turn to Greinke only if he is sure he can't acquire someone better.

By posting $25.7 million, the Dodgers have exclusive negotiating rights with Korean lefty Ryu Hyun-jin until Dec. 10. His signing would be in addition to that "No. 2" starter, as would those of Ryan Dempster or Anibal Sanchez or Kyle Lohse. The more pitchers the Dodgers sign, the more Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano become tradeable parts.

Maybe Colletti will just sign all of them. He has said you can't just collect players, but he's also said you can't have too much pitching. And we've already seen the kind of bold moves this new regime is willing to make.

They need a left-handed reliever, be it the re-signing of Randy Choate or another journeyman, because Scott Elbert is coming off elbow surgery and Paco Rodriguez has only one month of big league time.

The Dodgers need a fourth outfielder with center-field skills that they feel is an upgrade from Tony Gwynn. And they want a right-handed-hitting corner infielder who can be a backup to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and insurance at third for Luis Cruz, but interest in Kevin Youkilis appears only lukewarm.

Club needs

Starting pitching: The Dodgers want somebody else's ace to be a No. 2 behind Kershaw. If they can't trade for one, they can always outspend the other 29 teams for Greinke.

Left-handed relief pitcher: With Elbert coming off elbow surgery, Colletti wants to re-sign Choate or obtain a reasonable facsimile. They have met with Japanese free agent right-handed closer Kyuji Fujikawa. But with Brandon League, Kenley Jansen and Ronald Belisario returning, Fujikawa would need to accept a secondary or tertiary role, which probably isn't why he's coming to the United States.

Bench: Colletti rebuilds the bench every year. He got a head start with Punto's acquisition. Jerry Hairston returns as the most versatile role player, but he's coming off serious hip surgery. Rookie Tim Federowicz will apparently be the backup to A.J. Ellis behind the plate instead of a journeyman. Juan Uribe could become the backup corner infielder, if new hitting coach Mark McGwire can break through.

Whom they can or need to trade

The Dodgers haven't given up on Dee Gordon, but at the moment he's likely to be sent to Triple-A for a year of seasoning he missed last year when he was rushed to the Major Leagues. With Ramirez wanting to stay at short, there's no place for Gordon to play. Harang and Capuano were valuable additions last year, but this new regime wants to upgrade everywhere. The signing of Hyun-jin, Greinke, Sanchez or Dempster -- or some combination -- could make Harang and Capuano expendable.

Top prospects

RHP Zachary Lee: The Dodgers spent $5.25 million to sign Lee, ranked by MLB.com as the club's No. 1 prospect, and he's been improving gradually. He lacks a dominant pitch but is off the charts in the intangibles.

OF Yasiel Puig: He's been struggling in Puerto Rico coming off an elbow infection, but the Cuban is a $42 million, five-tool investment with a high ceiling.

LHP Chris Reed: The former Stanford reliever wants to start, but he's been a little too brittle for that so far. He figures to return to Double-A next year.

OF Joc Pederson: The corner outfielder has big league bloodlines, and he plays the game hard. He'll go to Double-A after a full Class A season.

SS Corey Seager: This year's first-round pick showed considerable power in his debut professional season. His body projects a third-base move.

RHP Matt Magill: Signability made him a 31st-round pick in 2008, and he's been under the radar, but the staff thinks he'll be a big leaguer sooner than some bigger names.

OF Alex Castellanos: He's got a live bat, but it's unclear whether he'll be an outfielder or infielder. He had two callups to Los Angeles this year.

C Tim Federowicz: After a full season at Triple-A, Federowicz apparently has earned the big league backup job to A.J. Ellis. The club is not pursuing free agent A.J. Pierzynski.

RHP Chris Withrow: He still has the arm that made him a first-rounder, but this will be his seventh professional season, and he still hasn't reached the Majors.

Rule 5 Draft

The Dodgers are unlikely to devote a roster spot to a Rule 5 pick and don't seem overly concerned about losing anybody they haven't protected.

Big contracts they might unload

Uribe can be had for a song, as he has a $6 million salary and no role.

Payroll summation: To infinity ... and beyond. In bankruptcy a year ago, the Dodgers' payroll was around $90 million to start the season. It will be north of $200 million next year, with president Stan Kasten saying: "We'll worry about it later." With a TV windfall of $6 billion anticipated, what's to worry about?